Recording information: 2005.
With the swift wit and relaxed swagger that marked his many guest appearances for Cam'Ron, Harlem rapper Juelz Santana quickly established himself as the one to watch in that rapper's Dipset crew. After a solid, if uneven 2003 solo debut, Santana delivered on the hype with his second release, 2005's WHAT THE GAME'S BEEN MISSING.
A remarkably versatile MC, Santana can paint a desperate, vivid picture of growing up in the concrete jungle ("Rumble Young Man Rumble") or unleash tremendous fire as he ponders the roots of rap's often bloody state-of-affairs ("Violence"). However, he can also turn a sinister Geto Boys sample into a tender ode to his young son ("Daddy") or get just plain silly, as he does for the single "There It Go (The Whistle Song)." While the title's boast is nearly impossible to back up, Juelz Santana does prove he has something to add to the game on this consistently inventive sophomore release. Album Reviews: Entertainment Weekly - "...[A]n overwhelming, contagious sense of self-confidence..." - Grade: B+
Rolling Stone - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...[A]n excellent disc of club-bangers and street parables....Santana keeps the energy up with a gruff delivery, zany flow and weird observations...."
Rolling Stone (No. 988, p.118) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...[A]n excellent disc of club-bangers and street parables....Santana keeps the energy up with a gruff delivery, zany flow and weird observations...."
Entertainment Weekly (No. 851, p.103) - "...[A]n overwhelming, contagious sense of self-confidence..." - Grade: B+ Titles on disc 1 1.: Intro 2.: Rumble Young Man Rumble 3.: Oh Yes 4.: Shottas - Sizzla 5.: Clockwork 6.: Kill 'Em 7.: This Is Me 8.: Make It Work for You 9.: Whatever You Wanna Call It 10.: Gangsta Sh*t, Gangsta Shit 11.: Lil' Boy Fresh 12.: Good Times 13.: Freaky 14.: Murda Murda 15.: Gone 16.: Kid Is Back 17.: Changes 18.: I Am Crack 19.: There It Go (The Whistle Song) 20.: Violence 21.: Daddy 22.: Mic Check Ciao Publicerad på Ciao sedan : 25-07-2011